Two Exciting Preorders: Levitator and iDeck

I just got a call from one of our suppliers saying that we HAVE to carry these items. The last time I heard them this excited was when the GECKO came out, and we all know how amazingly well that sold (biggest effect of 2008).

Levitator by Andrew Mayne - DVD

This one is getting a lot of buzz in the industry. Let's face it, levitations are what the average Joe-spectator expects a magician to be able to do. So why let them down? Preorder this one today! It's expected to be released around mid-September.



IDECK by Noel Qualter

This will be released in mid-October. Imagine turning your deck of cards into a portable iPod! Very commercial, and unique in presentation.

Well Wishes to Rick Maue

In case you didn't know, the talented magician Rick Maue recently suffered a stroke this past week. Rick has put out a lot of GREAT material for the magic community, and we at MJM Magic are all hoping for a speedy recovery. Rick - hang in there, my friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the family.

Here is a posting that his wife, Tammy, wrote:

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Greetings,

This is Rick’s wife Tammy. We have received a large number of emails and phone calls about his current situation. As some of you may know, Rick suffered a stroke this past Monday. He is actually doing very well, and although it appears that we will be dealing with the Stroke Clinic here in Pittsburgh for quite some time, Rick is hoping to resume a VERY limited schedule between now and the end of the year. We are even trying to convince his doctors to allow him to venture to Magic in the Rockies in a couple of weeks.

The reason for this message is that we want to thank everyone for their concern and good wishes. Rick is really sorry that he cannot respond to each of you individually, but the majority of his time is obviously being taken up by just taking it easy.

Anyone that may want to send any get well wishes can reach Rick through the contact information on our website by Clicking Here!

(Email and regular mail may be the best options since he is not able to take too many phone calls just yet.)

Once again, thank you to everyone for their concern and their support.

Sincerely,
Tammy Maue
Deceptions Unlimited

Dan Sperry is OK! Services will be held for his car.

I hope Dan doesn't mind me mentioning this, but he's a friend of mine and I am so thankful that he's alright.

So here's the backstory. I was texting him back and forth a few days ago about the Crimson Decks and some upcoming projects we are going to work on. His responses were a little short, and he told me it was because he was just in a car accident.

"Car accident?" I asked if he was OK, and he said he was fine. Now, because the accident just happened and we were texting, I thought it was probably a bad fender bender or something. Then I saw the picture he took on his cell phone, and my testicles shrank into my stomach.

All I have to say is thank God he was OK. It was only a few months ago that he was driving me around town in that same vehicle, and all it takes is one bonehead not paying attention to t-bone you to turn your life upside down.....literally.

An accident like that is something you are lucky to walk away from with no serious injuries, and we're all thankful that Dan was able walk away unharmed. If you want to check out his Facebook page and leave him a comment, click this link.

Crimson Decks just got lower!

By far and away, our exclusive CRIMSON DECKS have been the best selling item in our store for the past five months, and we're now ready to offer some wholesale prices to our customers that want to purchase in bulk!

The pricing is as follows:

1 - 2 decks = $6.95
3 - 24 decks = $5.95
25 - 48 decks = $4.55 (35% discount!)
49+ decks = $4.20 (40% discount!!!)

To get these prices, just add the amount of decks you want to purchase and the price will be calculated automatically through our website:

http://www.mjmmagic.com/store/the-crimson-deck-by-dan-sperry-mjm-magic-p-9609.html

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us right here.

Cyril Takes Matrix To The Next Level

I have always been fascinated with coin matrix effects. Here is a clip from Cyril in Japan, performing one of the most visual ones I've ever seen on television:

Do You Perform With Grapes? THEN STOP!

This is probably more of a public service announcement than anything else. If there is one thing that has KILLED many careers, it's a bad stigma associated to them. Here's what I mean. When I say, Charles Manson, what comes to your mind? Probably the image of a deranged serial killer who orchestrated the murders of many innocent people. But what about the successful neighborhood magician who shared his name? Now no one wants to pay a penny to see his show, and he's forced to pick some fictitious stage name.

So what I am bringing that up for? Simple. In one word, it's GRAPES.

"Grapes?"

Yes, grapes. I know that many magicians out there are highly creative, but please be warned. If any of you are using grapes in your act, you should know that they've been getting some bad publicity lately (at least here in North America).

"Grapes? Jeff, what are you talking about?"

Oh, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If you substitute some grapes into your Cups and Balls routine during one of the loads, then I'm talking to you. If you do a mini Zombie Ball routine using a grape, then PAY ATTENTION! You might think it's all fun and games, but you just might be associated with the GRAPIST. Watch this clip and see what I mean:



Just looking out for our customers and keeping them informed. Don't say we didn't warn you!

Product Notifications

This is just a reminder to those who may not know about this cool feature on our website. Many times, you may see an item that is out of stock and you want to know when it will come back in.

All you need to do is log into your MJM Magic account, go to the product you're interested in, and sign up for a product notification!

It will be located on the right hand side of the product's page and it looks like this:

That will record this notification to your account, so the next time anything changes about it (like a price change or an availability change), you will be automatically emailed and notified!

My Daughter Broke Her Arm

This blog is not only a window into the MJM Magic scene, but it's also a doorway into my personal life (because let's face it, MJM is just as much a part of me as my own family!)

So yesterday, the unthinkable happens. My wife calls me up and says that my youngest daughter (Katelyn, almost 2 yrs old) fell off a chair and broke her arm. I rushed home just in time for them to come back from Urgent Care, where we had to anxiously await a phone call from the doctor regarding her x-ray results. As you can see from the picture, even when she passed out, she was still holding her arm in pain.

The call eventually came and the news was bad: she fractured her arm. She is to remain in a cast for two weeks, which means she requires a lot more constant care than normal. Little things like eating with utensils and getting up on the couch are now almost impossible for her. Things that normally weren't a big deal (like seeing her trip over a toy) suddenly become astronomically worse, because even a small fall would send her landing on that arm again.

To be honest, the most heartbreaking thing is when she looks up at me and says, "Daddy, take it off my hand....take it off." I have to tell her that I can't take it off, baby......we have to wait until it's better. :(

But it could have been a LOT worse, so for that, I am thankful. As you can see, she now gets anything she wants during this recovery time. Goldfish? Fruit Snacks? You got it, Katelyn! Just relax and try not to hurt yourself anymore, for Pete's sake.

KARMA: Masked Magician Fails Miserably!

When you make your living by exposing the hard work of other honest magicians, one gets a little bit of satisfaction watching this guy FAIL MISERABLY on a live television show. My satifaction in watching this is only matched by the uncomfortableness that you can feel when everything goes horribly wrong!



This video comes direct from our popular magic YouTube Channel. Check it out here and subscribe to it (we update it all the time with new videos)!

MJM Going Solar?

Hey guys - sorry for not posting more often. In addition to running the store and speedily processing all your orders, I am researching a new project. It's more of a side thing, really....but I have been on this "solar" kick mentality for the last few weeks and I have no idea why. One of the things I thought would be killer is to convert the MJM Magic office to run entirely on solar power!

Pretty far fetched, and believe me, I got Brandi over here rolling her eyes thinking that I've completely lost it....but how neat would that be? To run all our computers and printers on nothing but solar energy? We wouldn't be doing it so much to save money (since solar systems are far more expensive than just paying the utility for power), but more so to say "We did it!" and to run the business on "clean renewable energy."

I will keep any solar project updates in this blog, since it's bound to be a HUGE undertaking if I ever get around to it.

Little Update from Jeff

Hidey-ho, everyone! Just wanted to drop this little update to THANK each and every one of you for continuing to be a part of our MJM family! Last month (July) proved to be the biggest July we've ever had in the last couple of years!

A large part of that had to do with the promotions we continue to have where we give away lots of free stuff, but I honestly feel that the MAIN reason why we continue to grow is because of YOU. Word of mouth and positive testimonials are what we live for, and that's the real fuel behind our success. Unlike other companies, we don't dump a lot of money into advertising or flashy ads. Why? Simply because that would focus on US US US. We would rather focus on YOU YOU YOU. That is what makes people continue to come back to us.

It sounds corny, but it's true. We literally try to put our customers above everything else, including our own employees sometimes! That means working after hours to answer emails, coming in on days off to pre-package orders over the weekend, you name it, we've done it. Heck, when my second daughter (Katelyn) was born in 2007, I drove back and forth every day from the hospital (60 miles away in Mountain View, CA) to process MJM orders for customers......and when I was finished, I would turn around and head back to the hospital to be with my family. I did that everyday for the 5 days/nights that my wife was in the hospital.

Being as large as we are, I personally have spoken to a lot of other magic store owners in the industry, and I've always believed that "there are plenty of people out there for everyone." I want other stores to succeed just like I want MJM to succeed. I want others to do well because I know that the same will come back to me. I'm a big believer in Karma, which is another reason why I don't run the company with dirty tactics or try to undermine anyone else in the industry.

So again, thank you for continuing to support our store and be a part of the success. We plan on giving away a lot more items before years end, AND bringing you more exclusives like Ghost Tag and Crimson Deck which you can only get in our store!

Our door is always open....feel free to contact us if you have any questions! I have lots of big ideas coming for MJM Magic that involve each and every one of you, and I can't wait to share them with you.

Keep smiling,
- Jeff